Netbook Presentation in Fennville

Brian Walker, originally of Fennville, received his netbook on August 23rd. The presentation was held at Dutchers Lodge in Fennville. Presenting the netbook are Kurt Kowell, Gene Rich, John Benefiel, Ray Rosendahl, Adrian Giles, and Bob Saunders of Dutcher Lodge along with Betty Hardin of Big Blue Water, Donna Walker, and Brian’s son.

Brian is the son of Donna Walker of Saugatuck and Edward Walker. Brian is scheduled to deploy in early September; he will be stationed in Kuwait, participating in the “Operation New Dawn” as a gunner/convoy security.

THANK YOU for your continued support of this program.

Pay Your Invoice in Your PJ's

There is a new web page available on the Big Blue Water website. "'Pay your invoice" was recently added allowing clients to pay their BBW invoice online. To access this page go to www.bigbluewater.com and click on the "Client Login" link in the upper right hand corner.

The payment process is simple to complete. Enter the invoice number listed at the top of your bill and click "Pay Now." You will be prompted to enter the amount you wish to have charged to your Credit Card and then enter your name, address and Credit Card information. Then just click submit! You will also receive a receipt of payment via email for your records.

This is a great new feature and we are excited to offer this convenience to our clients! Please feel free to email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call the office at 269-857-5517 with any questions.

Labor Day

Just an FYI. The Big Blue Water office will be closed this coming Monday the 6th in observance of Labor Day. We will resume our normal business hours on Tuesday September 7th from 10am until 4pm.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!

Over 40,000 Laptops Recalled

Toshiba recently posted a recall of 41,000 Satellite Series laptops. The T130 Series are overheating due to a "faulty DC-In harness." This overheating can cause the plastic casing around the AC adapter plug to melt and in a few reports has caused minor burn injuries.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this issue please contact a technician at the office at 269-857-5517 or send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

New Malware In Town

Beginning Friday Microsoft began warning people about a new Malware making rounds on the web. It's name is Rogue:MSIL/Zeven and it's design is turning heads. Zeven will recognize what browser a person is using and display a warning page. The browsers it has imitated are Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. According to the article written by Emil Protalinski, "we've still not before seen this level of detail and effort from the bad guys" though it's not perfect. A person educated to know what they're looking for will be able to spot the phony.

Click here to read the full article and view photos of the Zeven Malware in action so you know what to look for. This new Malware has copied the Microsoft appearance of the antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials. Be sure to view the full article to be aware of what Win7 AV looks like.

If you have questions or think you may be victim to Rogue: MSIL/Zeven contact a technician at Big Blue Water.

September 4, 2010

3481-B Blue Star Hwy.
Saugatuck, MI
49453

Phone: 269-857-5517
Fax: 269-857-5080

Business hours:
Monday thru Friday
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Send a Soldier a Netbook

Big Blue Water, along with other local businesses, are joining together to support our soldiers. Soldiers are sent away from friends and family for long periods of time and we, at Big Blue Water, would like to use technology to bring our soldiers closer to those they love. In October 2009 we began a campaign to collect funds to purchase and donate a netbook to soldiers being deployed to Iraq and Afganistan.

If you would like to help, feel free to stop by our office to drop off your donation amount. Or, you may go tohttp://www.bigbluewater.com/send-a-soldierto make a contibution via PayPal. Also available are donation cans at The Sand Bar Saloon, Holland Tire Center, Blue Goose Restaurant, the Fennville VFW, Pullman VFW, Holland VFW and Caravanserai Bakery.

Any questions? Please call Melissa at Big Blue Water269-857-5517.

Is Your Password Keeping You Safe?

Passwords are becoming more and more necessary these days with online banking, making purchases on the web or keeping any type of personal information safe from prying eyes. Needless to say creating a solid password has become an important skill. Commonly, passwords are created based on familiar words, phrases, dates or locations. Creating a password easily remembered by the user is important, but keep in mind that whatever is most common to you could also be easily hacked. According to a recent article written by John Leyden shorter passwords, those less than seven characters, are becoming less and less secure with the creation of faster and more powerful processors. These faster processors are enabling potential hackers to crack shorter passwords using a brute-force attack (click to view the full article here). Having a longer password will help in keeping attackers at bay, but remember, just because a password is long does not necessarily mean it's secure. Below are some suggestions on how to create a more unique and secure password.

1. Create a password that is at minimum 12 characters long.
2. Don't use only words or a combination of words. Mix it up, try adding an assortment of upper and lower case letters and numbers. For example replace the letter "E" with a "3" or "P" with a "4".
3. Add special characters to the beginning, end, middle or in place of letters. An example would be adding an asterisk symbol (*) if your password includes the word "star," or and ampersand (&) instead of typing "and."

Think of something unique to you. While it needs to be easily remembered it should not be easily cracked. Remember to use a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols comprising of at least 12 characters.

Lastly, DO NOT use the same password for multiple accounts. If someone is able to gain access to your email account and it contains a link to your bank account you've now given them access to both.

If you have questions about the security of your password(s) please feel free to contact a technician at Big Blue Water, we are always happy to answer your questions.